


The Girl Next Door

by pixiedustatsundown



Series: Sapphic September 2019 [25]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alternate Universe - Muggle, F/F, Mutual Pining, Neighbors, Sapphic September
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-25
Updated: 2019-09-25
Packaged: 2020-10-28 05:04:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 636
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20773010
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pixiedustatsundown/pseuds/pixiedustatsundown
Summary: Ginny has been crushing on her neighbour since the moment she first saw her. Ron thinks it's time she asks her out already instead of stalking her.





	The Girl Next Door

**Author's Note:**

> This was written for the prompt "Good morning." by [OTPshipper98](https://archiveofourown.org/users/OTPshipper98)

Ginny curses, she can’t find a decent shirt, her hair is a mess and she is already late. This is a disaster. She has been doing this for nearly five years now, ignored everyone telling her that what she is doing might be considered _stalking_, that it is _weird_ and _not_ how one is supposed to go about things like this, and miraculously this is the first morning that she might miss her. 

Hermione isn’t late, ever. She leaves the house every day at the exact same time and Ginny had mastered the art of ‘_accidentally meeting her when she starts her morning run’_ greeting her as every polite neighbour would and maybe making a few minutes of small talk until Hermione needs to get to work. She has the act of _polite neighbour_ down to an art form by now. 

Ginny doesn’t allow herself to consider that their smalltalk moved decidedly into less _smalltalk_ and more _serious conversation_ territory, that Hermione leaves the house earlier now than five years ago but doesn’t start work earlier, that Hermione always seems equally reluctant to say goodbye. Ginny can’t allow herself to consider those things because she can’t allow herself to hope. 

She knows it’s pathetic, this pining and awkward flirting thing. Everyone says so. But what else is she supposed to do? Ask her out and risk Hermione looking at her in disgust, leaving the house at the last possible moment or even move away? Ginny can’t do that, can’t lose her maybe romance to such a horrible end. 

It’s not exactly _logical_ what they are doing. Ron pointed out several times that not talking to Hermione means her possible romance will always remain nothing more than that, _possible_, never actually _be_ and flourish and grow. And Ginny wants it to grow, wants to stop needing excuses to talk to Hermione, wants to listen to her complain about the idiots at work somewhere less rushed and less public, wants not only her mornings but her lunches and her evenings and her nights. Ginny wants it all, everything she can get. 

The only thing that is holding her back is fear. Fear that mornings are all she can have, that Hermione’s time will never be hers, that her smiles and her stories and her love belong to someone else. And as long as she doesn’t actually ask she can fool herself into believing that if she were to ask, Hermione would say yes. 

“Good morning.” For a moment Ginny just stares at Hermione, leaning against the fence and smiling like she does every morning. But this morning Ginny is late, really _late_ and Hermione should be long gone, commanding people around in some office. Ginny is debating if she started hallucinating now, so desperate in her pining that she completely ignores reality now, but then Hermione’s smile falls and she looks unsure. And as disgustingly sweet as it sounds, Ginny doesn’t think for one moment that she would ever allow her to look that distraught, she would never imagine her anything but happy. 

“Morning neighbour, not looking forward to work today?” Hermione frowns at her and Ginny is silently cursing again, when her expression clears into a small smile. 

“I was waiting for you actually, you are late.” She says it in her best scolding voice, as if they have an official appointment to meet every morning and Ginny missed it. Ginny can’t even pretend to be sorry. Because this must mean something, right? Hermione waited for her, will be late and possibly miss important things because she wanted to talk to Ginny first. 

Maybe it’s not quite as hopeless as she thought, not quite as pathetic. Or at least they are both pathetic. But Hermione _waited_, she _cares_ and one of these days, Ginny will ask her. 

**Author's Note:**

> Kudos and comments are appreciated!  
If you liked this story you can [reblog it on Tumblr](https://pixiedustatsundown.tumblr.com/post/187944829893/the-girl-next-door)


End file.
